If you haven’t heard of the I Spy Phonemic Awareness game yet you’re in for a treat!
This activity is perfect for literacy development at home or at school with toddlers, preschool, prek and kindergarten students OR simply anyone learning to read English. You'll find it helpful for teaching reading and writing in a traditional Montessori classroom or homeschool environment.
Here is how it works:
This I SPY sound game is meant to help students on their reading journey by isolating individual sounds that make up words. When you introduce this game start with 2-3 sounds at a time and grow to 4-5 sounds at a time as students become more comfortable with the game.
Print the cards and posters on heavy white cardstock. Cut and laminate for durability.
Start with 2-3 beginning letter sounds (for example /s/, /d/, /n/). Lay out three images with these initial sounds (for example sun, dog, narwhal).
Begin the game by saying, “I spy with my little eye something that starts with /d/”. The students should point to the dog card. If they do not you can follow up with, “You pointed to a card that starts with /n/. Which one starts with /d/?” Repeat this until all the cards have been identified.
Once students have mastered beginning sounds, move on to end sounds. If this is too tricky, you can start with beginning and end sounds. “I spy with my little eye something that starts with /d/ and ends with /g/.”
The final stage is to bring together all the sounds in words. ”I spy with my little eye a /d/ /o/ /g/”. The students should be able to find the dog and repeat at the sounds in the word.
Interested in the Letter Sounds Phonics Alphabet Flashcards that pair perfectly with this game? You can find them here: CLICK HERE.
